Manteca cops get hulking hand

Saturday

Apr 5, 2014 at 12:01 AM

MANTECA - Bad guys with guns, take heed.

Joe Goldeen

MANTECA - Bad guys with guns, take heed.

Manteca is serious about keeping its police officers and the public safe in the event of a hostage rescue, armed takeover, bomb threat or the need to transport officers into the heart of a high-risk incident.

The Manteca Police Department has taken ownership of an MRAP, short for mine-resistant ambush-protected tactical vehicle, better known as the Pentagon's solution to keeping soldiers safe from roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Thousands of similar vehicles - with an estimated value of more than $700,000 apiece - were never deployed overseas and were declared surplus. They are now being made available free of charge to local police agencies around the nation through the Law Enforcement Support Office of the Defense Logistics Agency.

The MRAP - at 56,000 pounds, 10 feet high and 21 feet long with six-wheel drive and run-flat tires - can travel just about anywhere it wants to go, according to Manteca police Sgt. Paul Carmona, the only member of the department currently authorized to operate the massive machine.

"Primarily, this is for the protection of officers and the rescuing of officers and civilians," Carmona said.

"If there was an active shooter situation, we can drive the vehicle right up in the middle of it and start evacuations," he said.

Manteca's new MRAP has been assigned to the Police Department's Special Weapons and Tactics team - a joint operation of the Manteca and Ripon departments - and could be ready for service as soon as next month.

First, it will be repainted from its military khaki color to police black and outfitted with a light bar and the logos of the SWAT team and the Manteca and Ripon police departments. The vehicle requires a driver with a Class B commercial license with air brake endorsement and further training to operate it.

The MRAP is rated to withstand the impact of a 50-caliber round, something Carmona said he would rather not put to the test. It is also large enough to transport the entire joint SWAT team of 13 officers wherever they might be needed.

"We're here for mutual aid. All they have to do is call us," Carmona said of making the MRAP available in surrounding communities.

Carmona said because the vehicle was never deployed, everything in the engine is brand new, so "upkeep should be minimal." On the other hand, at just 4 to 6 miles per gallon, it will be expensive to operate. And according to the Department of Defense, they were never built to be sustained over time.

In a statement, Manteca Police Chief Nick Obligacion cited recent events across the country, including numerous school shootings, as one reason for his department to be prepared, saying it's necessary "to have every resource available to protect our citizens and officers."

While the MRAP will serve a specific function, its imposing size could possibly act as a deterrent to a gun incident escalating into something ugly.

"Part of it is, if we can get (armed suspects) to change their minds before they've done anything, it's done its job," Carmona said, quickly adding, "We didn't get it because it's big. We got it to save lives."

Contact reporter Joe Goldeen at (209) 546-8278 or jgoldeen@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/goldeenblog and on Twitter @JoeGoldeen.